U.S. patent number 9,350,615 [Application Number 13/469,400] was granted by the patent office on 2016-05-24 for management server, management device, and method of management of plural image forming apparatuses.
This patent grant is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is Hyung-chan Kim, Ji-young Lee, Lye-suk Lee, Seung-soo Oak, Byung-oh Park. Invention is credited to Hyung-chan Kim, Ji-young Lee, Lye-suk Lee, Seung-soo Oak, Byung-oh Park.
United States Patent |
9,350,615 |
Lee , et al. |
May 24, 2016 |
Management server, management device, and method of management of
plural image forming apparatuses
Abstract
Management server is provided. The management server includes a
storage unit to store information about a plurality of client
groups, a communication interface unit to receive management device
identification information from a management device at remote
distance connected to at least one image forming apparatus, a
mapping unit to map at least one from among the plurality of client
groups with the management device based on the received management
device identification information, and a control unit to transmit
an activation command to the mapped management device, the
activation command directing the management device mapped with the
client group to collect the information about the connected image
forming apparatus.
Inventors: |
Lee; Ji-young (Seoul,
KR), Oak; Seung-soo (Seongnam, KR), Park;
Byung-oh (Suwon, KR), Lee; Lye-suk (Suwon,
KR), Kim; Hyung-chan (Yongin, KR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lee; Ji-young
Oak; Seung-soo
Park; Byung-oh
Lee; Lye-suk
Kim; Hyung-chan |
Seoul
Seongnam
Suwon
Suwon
Yongin |
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A |
KR
KR
KR
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
(Suwon-Si, KR)
|
Family
ID: |
46229195 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/469,400 |
Filed: |
May 11, 2012 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20120303779 A1 |
Nov 29, 2012 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
|
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May 23, 2011 [KR] |
|
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10-2011-0048758 |
Apr 20, 2012 [KR] |
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10-2012-0041704 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L
41/046 (20130101); H04L 41/0893 (20130101); H04L
41/22 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
15/173 (20060101); H04L 12/24 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;709/201-203,217-22
;710/1-5,8,15-19 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1327938 |
|
Jul 2003 |
|
EP |
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2193464 |
|
Jun 2010 |
|
EP |
|
2003-162399 |
|
Jun 2003 |
|
JP |
|
2010-200298 |
|
Sep 2010 |
|
JP |
|
2010-541098 |
|
Dec 2010 |
|
JP |
|
10-2003-0027082 |
|
Apr 2003 |
|
KR |
|
Other References
PCT Search Report and Written Opinion issued in PCT/KR2012/003760
dated Nov. 27, 2012. cited by applicant .
Extended European Search Report dated Aug. 6, 2015 in corresponding
European Patent Application No. 12168946.7. cited by applicant
.
Chen et al., "ANMP: Ad Hoc Network Management Protocol", IEEE
Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, vol. 17, No. 8, Aug.
1999, pp. 1506-1531. cited by applicant .
Examination Report dated Mar. 17, 2016 issued in European Patent
Application No. 12168946.7. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Avellino; Joseph E
Assistant Examiner: Book; Phyllis A
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Staas & Halsey LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A management server, comprising: a storage unit to store
information about a plurality of client groups; a communication
interface unit to receive management device identification
information from at least one management device of a plurality of
management devices at a remote distance; a mapping device to map at
least one client group from among the plurality of client groups
with the at least one management device based on the received
management device identification information; and a control unit
configured to: transmit an activation command, including an agent
initiation command, to the at least one management device to
initiate the at least one management device to act as an agent so
that the at least one management device provides the management
server with the management device identification information upon
receipt of the agent initiation command, and direct the at least
one management device, using the activation command, to collect
information about image forming apparatuses corresponding to the at
least one client group, wherein a mapping relationship between the
at least one management device and the at least one client group is
established through the management device identification
information transmitted according to the activation command.
2. The management server of claim 1, wherein the management device
identification information comprises at least one of a name, an
internet protocol (IP) address, and a unique serial number of the
at least one management device.
3. The management server of claim 1, further comprising: a display
unit to display non-mapped management devices of the plurality of
management devices which are not mapped with the plurality of
client groups; and an input unit to select at least one non-mapped
management device from among the non-mapped management devices of
the plurality of management devices and select a client group from
among the plurality of client groups which is to be mapped with the
selected management device, wherein the mapping device maps the
selected management device with the selected client group.
4. The management server of claim 1, further comprising: a
management apparatus to request the at least one management device
in receipt of the activation command for the information about the
plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to the at least
one management device in receipt of the activation command and
receive the requested information.
5. The management server of claim 4, wherein the information about
the plurality of image forming apparatuses comprises at least one
of unique information, status information, and job information of
each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses.
6. The management server of claim 5, wherein the job information
comprises at least one of a number of copies to be printed, a job
log, and an operating ratio of each of the plurality of image
forming apparatuses.
7. The management server of claim 4, wherein the storage unit
stores the received information about the plurality of image
forming apparatuses under each corresponding client group.
8. A plurality of management devices connectable to a plurality of
image forming apparatuses and a management server at a remote
distance, a management device among the plurality of management
devices comprising: a user interface unit to receive an agent
initiation command from the management server to request
information about the plurality of image forming apparatuses from
the plurality of image forming apparatuses; a communication
interface unit to transmit management device identification
information to the management server from the management device,
when the agent initiation command is received; and a control unit
configured to: control the communication interface unit to transmit
the information about the image forming apparatuses connected to
the management device to the management server, when the management
device is newly mapped by the management server, and receive an
activation command from the management server to initiate the
management device to act as an agent so that the management device
provides the management server with the management device
identification information upon receipt of the activation command,
wherein a mapping relationship between the management device and at
least one client group from among a plurality of client groups is
established through the management device identification
information transmitted according to the activation command, and
the information about image forming apparatuses connected to the
management device is collected by the management device according
to the activation command.
9. The management device of claim 8, wherein the user interface
unit receives an input of a name of the management device, and the
management device identification information comprises the inputted
name of the management device.
10. The management device of claim 8, wherein the management device
identification information comprises at least one of a name, an
internet protocol (IP) address and unique serial number of the
management device.
11. The management device of claim 8, wherein the management device
is at least one of the image forming apparatuses, and a print
control terminal apparatus connectable to the image forming
apparatuses.
12. A method of managing a management server for a plurality of
image forming apparatuses, the method comprising: receiving
management device identification information from at least one
management device of a plurality of management devices at a remote
distance; mapping at least one client group from among a plurality
of client groups with the at least one management device based on
the received management device identification information;
transmitting an activation command, including an agent initiation
command, to the at least one management device to initiate the at
least one management device to act as an agent so that the at least
one management device provides the management server with the
management device identification information upon receipt of the
agent initiation command, and directing the at least one management
device, using the activation command, to collect information about
image forming apparatuses corresponding to the at least one client
group, wherein a mapping relationship between the at least one
management device and the at least one client group is established
through the management device identification information
transmitted according to the activation command.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the management device
identification information comprises at least one of a name, an
internet protocol (IP) address, and a unique serial number of the
management device.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: displaying
non-mapped management devices of the plurality of management
devices which are not mapped with the plurality of client groups;
and selecting at least one non-mapped management device from among
the non-mapped management devices of the plurality of management
devices; and selecting a client group from among the plurality of
client groups which is to be mapped with the selected management
device, wherein the mapping comprises mapping the selected
management device with the selected client group.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: when the activation
command has been received, requesting the at least one management
device for the information about the plurality of image forming
apparatuses connected to the at least one management device in
receipt of the activation command and receiving the requested
information.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the information about the
plurality of image forming apparatuses comprises at least one of
unique information, status information, and job information of each
image forming apparatus of the plurality of image forming
apparatuses connected to the at least one management device.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the job information comprises
at least one of a number of copies to be printed, a job log, and an
operating ratio of each image forming apparatus of the plurality of
image forming apparatuses connected to the at least one management
device.
18. The method of claim 15, further comprising: storing the
received information about the plurality of image forming
apparatuses connected to the at least one management device under
each corresponding client group.
19. A method of managing a plurality of management devices for a
respective plurality of image forming apparatuses, the method
comprising: inputting an agent initiation command to at least one
management device of the plurality of management devices to provide
information about the plurality of image forming apparatuses to a
management server; transmitting management device identification
information from the at least one management device to the
management server, according to the agent initiation command
inputted to the at least one management device; receiving an
activation command from the management server to initiate the at
least one management device to act as an agent to the management
server upon receipt of the agent initiation command when the at
least one management device is newly mapped by the management
server; and transmitting information about one or more of the
respective plurality of image forming apparatuses to the management
device to the management server, according to the activation
command, wherein a mapping relationship between the at least one
management device and at least one client group is established
through the management device identification information
transmitted according to the activation command.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: inputting a name of
the at least one management device, wherein the management device
identification information comprises the inputted name of the at
least one management device.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the management device
identification information comprises at least one of a name, an
internet protocol (IP) address and unique serial number of the at
least one management device.
22. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one management
device is at least one of the image forming apparatus, and a print
control terminal apparatus connectable to the image forming
apparatus.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 (a) from
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0048758, filed on May 23,
2011, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2012-0041704, filed on Apr. 20, 2012, in the
Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a management
server, a management device and a method of management for a
plurality of image forming apparatuses, and, more particularly, to
a management server to map a management device, which to manage a
plurality of image forming apparatuses at remote distances, and to
a client group under management of the management device. The
present general inventive concept is also directed to a management
device and a method of managing a plurality of image forming
apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus generally operates to print the print
data generated at a terminal device such as a computer onto a
recording paper. The image forming apparatus may include, for
example, a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a multi function
peripheral (MFP) which integrates the functions of the
above-mentioned apparatuses therein.
The business-to-business (i.e., "B2B") market has recently been
developed in which printer management solution suppliers manage the
printers at universities, companies, or the like. In such a B2B
market, the printer management solution supplier manages a job log
of the image forming apparatus (such as a printer) within a
network, and computes the workload to charge individual or groups
of individuals based on the amount of use.
Since the printers at universities or companies are at remote
distances from the management server of the printer management
solution supplier, and also considering the fact that the public
offices, universities or companies generally use firewall or
internal networks, it is necessary for the management server to
collect information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses
using the management device (or agent) located at a remote
distance.
Meanwhile, in order for the management device to collect the
information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, the
management device has to be mapped with one of the client group
under management of the management server. Conventionally, the
management device and the client group are mapped with each other
by a method illustrated in FIG. 12.
FIG. 12 is a view provided to explain a conventional method of
mapping the management device with the client group.
Referring to FIG. 12, at operation 1, a manager generates an agent
key file corresponding to a client group to be mapped to the
management device. At operation 2, the manager sends the generated
agent key file to a person in charge of installation of the
management device or moves to a remote distance at which the
management device is located, so that at operation 3, the person in
charge of installation (or the manager) implements the agent key
file to the management device. At operation 4, the management
device acquires an ID of the client group to be mapped based on the
implemented agent key file and completes the mapping by sending the
acquired ID and information of the client group to the management
server.
However, to map the client group with the management device in the
conventional manner explained above, the manager has to do a rather
cumbersome process of moving to the remote distance and installing
the agent key file. It is also inconvenient since the manager has
to do the above-mentioned process with respect to every management
device that has changes as the connection between the management
device and the management server changes.
Further, since the mapping takes some time (i.e., standby time), it
is impossible to manage the image forming apparatus connected to
the corresponding management device during the standby time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present general inventive concept provides a management to map
a management device, which efficiently manages a plurality of image
forming apparatuses at remote distances, to a client group under
management of the management device. The present general inventive
concept also provides a management device and a method of managing
a plurality of image forming apparatuses.
Additional features and utilities of the present general inventive
concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows
and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be
learned by practice of the general inventive concept.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may
provide a management server that includes a storage unit to store
information about a plurality of client groups, a communication
interface unit to receive management device identification
information from a management device at a remote distance connected
to at least one image forming apparatus, a mapping unit to map at
least one client group from among the plurality of client groups
with the management device based on the received management device
identification information, and a control unit to transmit an
activation command to the mapped management device, the activation
command directing the management device mapped with the client
group to collect the information about the connected at least one
image forming apparatus.
The management device identification information may include at
least one of a name, an internet protocol (IP) address, and a
unique serial number of the management device.
The management server may include a display unit to display
non-mapped management devices which are not mapped with the
plurality of client groups, and an input unit to select at least
one non-mapped management device from among the non-mapped
management devices and select a client group from among the
plurality of client groups which is to be mapped with the selected
management device, where the mapping unit maps the selected
management device with the selected client group.
The management server may include a management unit to request the
management device in receipt of the activation command for the
information about the at least one image forming apparatus
connected to the management device in receipt of the activation
command and receive the requested information.
The information about the at least one image forming apparatus may
include at least one of unique information, status information, and
job information of the image forming apparatus.
The job information may include at least one of the number of
copies to be printed, a job log, and an operating ratio of the at
least one imaging forming apparatus.
The storage unit can store the received information about the image
forming apparatus under each corresponding client group.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may
also provide a management device connectable to a plurality of
image forming apparatuses and a management server at remote
distance, which may include a user interface unit to receive an
agent initiation command to request information about the plurality
of image forming apparatuses to the management server, a
communication interface unit to transmit management device
identification information to the management server, when the agent
initiation command is received, and a control unit to control the
communication interface unit to transmit the information about the
connected image forming apparatuses to the management server, when
the activation command is received from the management server.
The user interface unit receives an input of a name of the
management device, and the management device identification
information includes the inputted name of the management
device.
The management device identification information may include at
least one of a name, an IP address, and a unique serial number of
the management device.
The management device may be at least one of the image forming
apparatuses, and a print control terminal apparatus connectable to
the image forming apparatuses.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may
be achieved by providing a method of managing a management server
for a plurality of image forming apparatuses, which may include
receiving management device identification information from a
management device at remote distance connected to at least one of
the plurality of image forming apparatuses, mapping at least one
client group from among a plurality of client groups with the
management device based on the received management device
identification information, and transmitting an activation command
to the mapped management device, the activation command directing
the management device mapped with the client group to collect the
information about the connected at least one image forming
apparatus.
The management device identification information may include at
least one of a name, an IP address, and a unique serial number of
the management device.
The method may include displaying non-mapped management devices
which are not mapped with the plurality of client groups, and
selecting at least one non-mapped management device from among the
non-mapped management devices, and selecting a client group from
among the plurality of client groups which is to be mapped with the
selected management device, where the mapping comprises mapping the
selected management device with the selected client group.
The method may include that when the activation command has been
received, requesting the management device for the information
about the at least one image forming apparatus connected to the
management device in receipt of the activation command and
receiving the requested information.
The information about the image forming apparatus may include at
least one of unique information, status information, and job
information of the image forming apparatus.
The job information includes at least one of the number of copies
to be printed, a job log, and an operating ratio of the image
forming apparatus.
The method may include storing the received information about the
at least one image forming apparatus under each corresponding
client group.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may
be achieved by providing a method of managing a management device
for a plurality of image forming apparatuses, which may include
inputting an agent initiation command directing to provide
information about the plurality of image forming apparatuses to a
management server, transmitting management device identification
information to the management server, if the agent initiation
command is inputted, receiving an activation command from the
management server, and transmitting the information about at least
one connected image forming apparatus connected to the management
device of the plurality of image forming apparatuses to the
management server.
The method may include inputting a name of the management device,
wherein the management device identification information includes
the inputted name of the management device.
The management device identification information may include at
least one of a name, an IP address and a unique serial number of
the management device.
The management device may be at least one of the image forming
apparatus, and a print control terminal apparatus connectable to
the image forming apparatus.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may
also provide a method of managing a management server for a
plurality of image forming apparatuses, the method including
receiving management device identification information from a
management device at remote distance connected to at least one
image forming apparatus, mapping at least one from among a
plurality of client groups with the management device based on the
received management device identification information, and
transmitting an activation command to the mapped management device,
the activation command directing the management device mapped with
the client group to collect the information about the connected
image forming apparatus.
The management device identification information may include at
least one of a name, an IP address, and a unique serial number of
the management device.
The method may include displaying non-mapped management devices
which are not mapped with the plurality of client groups, and
selecting at least one from among the non-mapped management
devices, and selecting a client group from among the plurality of
client groups which is to be mapped with the selected management
device, where the mapping includes mapping the selected management
device with the selected client group.
The method may include requesting the management device in receipt
of the activation command for the information about the image
forming apparatus connected to the management device in receipt of
the activation command and receiving the requested information.
The information about the image forming apparatus may include at
least one of unique information, status information, and job
information of the image forming apparatus.
The job information may include at least one of the number of
copies to be printed, a job log, and an operating ratio of the
image forming apparatus.
The method may include storing the received information about the
image forming apparatus under each corresponding client group.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may
be achieved by providing a method of managing a management device
for a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the method including
inputting an agent initiation command directing to provide
information about the plurality of image forming apparatuses to the
management server, transmitting management device identification
information to the management server, if the agent initiation
command is inputted; receiving the activation command from the
management server, and transmitting the information about connected
image forming apparatus to the management server.
The method may include inputting a name of the management device,
where the management device identification information includes the
inputted name of the management device.
The management device identification information may include at
least one of a name, IP address, and a unique serial number of the
management device.
The management device may be at least one of the image forming
apparatus, and a print control terminal apparatus connectable to
the image forming apparatus.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may
also provide a management information system, including a
management device communicatively coupled to at least one image
forming apparatus, and a management server to receive management
device identification information from the management device, to
map at least one client group from among a plurality of client
groups with the management device according to the received
management device identification information, and to transmit an
activation command to the mapped management device to collect the
information about the connected at least one image forming
apparatus.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may
also provide a method of managing a management information system
including a management device for a plurality of image forming
apparatuses communicatively coupled thereto and a management
server, the method including receiving an agent initiation command
with the management device to provide information about the
plurality of image forming apparatuses to the management server,
when the agent initiation command is received by the management
device, transmitting management device identification information
from the management device to the management server, receiving an
activation command from the management server with the management
device, and transmitting the information about at least one image
forming apparatus of the plurality of image forming apparatuses
from the management device to the management server.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and/or other features and utilities of the present general
inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated
from the following description of the embodiments, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an MPS management system
according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive
concept;
FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram illustrating the management
server of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram illustrating the management
device of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4 to 6 are views illustrating a method of mapping a
management device and a client group according to exemplary
embodiments of the present general inventive concept;
FIGS. 7 to 9 are views illustrating an example of a user interface
(UI) window to be displayed on a display unit of FIG. 2 according
to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive
concept;
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a
plurality of image forming apparatuses at a management server
according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive
concept;
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a
plurality of image forming apparatuses at a management device
according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive
concept; and
FIG. 12 illustrates a conventional method of mapping a management
device with a client group.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the
present general inventive concept, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference
numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are
described below in order to explain the present general inventive
concept by referring to the figures.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an Management Presence Server (MPS)
management system according to exemplary embodiments of the present
general inventive concept.
Referring to FIG. 1, the MPS management system 1000 may include a
management server 100 and a plurality of management devices (200-1,
. . . , 200-n). The management server 1000 may be a computer or any
suitable server to manage the management devices 200 and the image
forming apparatuses coupled thereto so as to carry out the
exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept as
disclosed herein. The management server 100 may be communicatively
coupled to the plurality of management devices (200-1, . . . ,
200-n) via a wired and/or wireless communication link. In exemplary
embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the
management server 100 may be communicatively coupled to the
management devices (200-1, . . . , 200-n) via a network.
The management server 100 receives from the plurality of management
devices (200-1, . . . , 200-n) information of image forming
apparatuses (10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n, 11-1, 11-2, . . . , 11-n)
communicatively coupled via a wired and/or wireless communications
link to each of the plurality of management devices (200-1, . . . ,
200-n), and manages the respective image forming apparatuses based
on the received information. The information received from the
image forming apparatuses may include, for example, the make, mode,
serial number, operating status (e.g., operational,
non-operational, etc.), type of image forming apparatus (e.g.,
black-and-white printer, color printer, copier, scanner, fax
machine, etc.), and/or any other suitable operational
characteristics of the image forming apparatus. That is, the
management server 100 may control the operation of one or more of
the image forming apparatuses according to the received information
to perform image forming tasks and/or jobs. The detailed
construction and operation of the management server 100 will be
explained below with reference to FIG. 2.
The plurality of management devices (200-1, . . . , 200-n) can be
communicatively connected to the management server 100, and each
can be communicatively connected to at least one image forming
apparatus (10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n, 11-1, 11-2, . . . , 11-n). The
plurality of management devices (200-1, . . . , 200-n) can collect
the information of the connected image forming apparatus in
response to a request of the management server 100 and can transmit
the collected image of the image forming apparatus to the
management server 100. The management device 200 will be explained
below with reference to FIG. 3. The management device 200 may be a
print control terminal such as personal computer (PC) or a laptop,
or an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, or an
MFU (i.e., a multi-function unit).
As illustrated in FIG. 1, two management devices (200-1, 200-n) can
be communicatively connected to the management server 100 via a
wireless and/or wired communications link. However, depending on
implementations, three or more management devices may be
communicatively connected to the management server 100. Further,
although FIG. 1 illustrates that the management device 200 is
communicatively connected to each of the three or more image
forming apparatuses (10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n), this is merely an
example, and a different number of image forming apparatuses may be
communicatively connected to each of the management devices 200,
and at least one image forming apparatus may be communicatively
connected to the management device 200.
FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed block diagram of the management
server of FIG. 1 according to exemplary embodiments of the present
general inventive concept.
Referring to FIG. 2, the management server 100 may include a
communication interface unit 110, a display unit 120, an input unit
130, a storage unit 140, a mapping unit 150, a management unit 160,
and a control unit 170.
The communication interface unit 110 may be connected to a
plurality of management devices (200-1, . . . , 200-n). The
communication interface unit 110 may communicatively connect the
management server 100 to an external device, and may be
communicatively connected to the plurality of management devices
(200-1, . . . , 200-n) via local area network (LAN) or
Internet.
The communication interface unit 110 can receive identification
information from the management device 200 to identify the
management device. The communication interface unit 110 may receive
from the management device 200 information including name (or
alias), IP address, or unique serial number (e.g., media access
control (MAC) data) that can identify the corresponding management
device 200.
The communication interface unit 110 can transmit an activation
command to the management device 200. The communication interface
unit 110 may transmit an activation command to the management
device 200 that is newly mapped by the mapping unit 150, which will
be explained below, thereby collecting the information of the image
forming apparatuses (10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n) connected to the
corresponding management device 200.
The communication interface unit 110 can receive information of the
image forming apparatuses from the respective management devices
(200-1, . . . , 200-n). The communication interface unit 110 may
request the respective management devices (200-1, . . . , 200-n) to
transmit the information of the image forming apparatuses (10-1,
10-2, . . . , 10-n, 11-1, 11-2, . . . , 11-n) communicatively
connected to the respective management devices (200-1, . . . ,
200-n), and receive the information of the image forming
apparatuses connected to the corresponding management devices from
the respective management devices (200-1, . . . , 200-n) as a
response. The received information of the image forming apparatus
may include, for example, unique information (e.g., model name, IP
address, driver information, location information, etc.) of the
image forming apparatus, status information (e.g., on/off,
generation of error), recording medium information (e.g., type,
amount, etc., of recording medium) of the image forming apparatus,
or job information (e.g., the number of copies to be printed, job
log, operating ratio of the image forming apparatus).
The communication interface unit 110 may receive a request for
information from the respective management devices (200-1, . . . ,
200-n), and transmit the requested information to the corresponding
management device. The manager (or user) may request the management
server 100 via the management device or image forming apparatus for
information such as job log of the image forming apparatus. In
response, the management server 200 may transmit the corresponding
information to the corresponding management device 200.
The display unit 120 may display various information supported by
the management server 100. The display unit 120 may be a monitor, a
television, an/or any suitable display device. The display unit 120
may display information about a plurality of client groups under
management of the management server 100. Client groups may be one
or more devices and/or groups of devices, such as the image forming
apparatuses (10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n, 11-1, 11-2, . . . , 11-n)
illustrated in FIG. 1, to be collectively managed by the management
server 100. The display unit 120 may display a plurality of client
groups (or management groups, hereinafter referred to as the client
groups) under management of the management server 100. The display
unit 120 may concurrently display the management devices mapped
with the corresponding client group. Herein, the display unit 120
may distinguish between the client groups without mapping with the
management device (i.e., client groups that have not been mapped to
at least one management device) from the client groups with mapping
with the management device (i.e., client groups that have been
mapped to at least one management device), in displaying the client
groups. That is, one or more of the image forming apparatuses
(10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n, 11-1, 11-2, . . . , 11-n) illustrated in
FIG. 1 may be grouped together to form a client group, and the
mapping unit 150 of the management server 100 may associate the
client group with a management device so as to map the client group
with the management device. One or more user interface windows may
be displayed on the display unit 120 that is coupled to the
management server 100, as explained in detail below with reference
to FIGS. 7 to 9.
The input unit 130 of the management server 100 may include a
plurality of function keys with which the manager may set or select
one or more functions supported by the management server 100. The
input unit 130 may include at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, a
touchscreen, an/or any other suitable input device to select one or
more functions provided by the management server 100 according to
exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept as
disclosed herein. The input unit 130 may select at least one
management device from among the non-mapped management devices
(e.g., management devices 200-1 . . . 200-n), and select a client
group (e.g., where the client group includes at least one of image
forming apparatuses 10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n, and/or 11-1, 11-2, .
. . , 11-n) to be mapped with the selected management device. The
input unit 130 may also receive a command directing to change or
delete a communicative connection between the mapped management
device and the client group. In exemplary embodiments of the
present general inventive concept, the display unit 120 and the
input unit 130 can be separate devices. However, this is merely an
example, and the display unit 120 and the input unit 130 may be
integrated so as to form a touchpad which is capable of handling
both input and output.
The storage unit 140 may store information about the plurality of
client groups. The storage unit 140 may be a hard disk drive, a
solid state drive (SSD), a memory device, and/or any suitable
storage device to carry out the exemplary embodiments of the
present general inventive concept disclosed herein. The storage
unit 140 may store information about a plurality of client groups
which may be managed by (e.g., controlled by) the management server
100. Herein, the information about the client group may include
name of the client group, management device mapped with the client
group, or the like.
The storage unit 140 may store identification information by which
the management device is identified. The storage unit 140 may store
the management device identification information received via the
communication interface unit 110. The management device
identification information may be inputted and/or receive through
the input unit 130. The inputted management device identification
information may be stored at the storage unit 140.
The storage unit 140 may store the information of the image forming
apparatuses. The storage unit 140 may store the information (for
example, the unique information, the status information, and the
job information) about the image forming apparatuses (e.g., image
forming apparatuses 10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n, and/or 11-1, 11-2, .
. . , 11-n) received from the management devices 200 under
corresponding client groups which correspond to the management
devices that send out the corresponding information.
The storage unit 140 may be a storage medium that is within the
management server 100, and/or as an external storage medium, such
as a removable disk including USB memory, or database connected to
a management server (host).
The mapping unit 150 of the management server 100 can map the
management device with the client group. The mapping unit 150 may
map (i.e., associate) a plurality of client groups with a plurality
of management devices. Herein, the mapping unit 150 may map one
management device to one client group, or may map a plurality of
management devices to one client group.
The mapping may be carried out automatically or manually as
selected by the manager. With the automatic mapping, the mapping
unit 150 of the management server 100 can compare the management
device identification information received from the management
device with the management device identification information
previously stored through the input unit 130 of the management
server 100 and/or information about the client group. The mapping
unit 150 can select a client group to which the corresponding
management device is to be mapped, and can map the selected client
group to the management device. By way of example, if the name of
the management device within the management device identification
information received from the management device is "Company 1
Agent" and the client group includes "Company 1", the mapping unit
150 may map the corresponding management device with the client
group of "Company 1".
With mapping manually carried out in response to a selection by the
manager, if the management device identification information is
received from the management device 200, the mapping unit 150 of
the management server 100 can control the display unit 120 to
display the presence of the non-mapped management device. The
mapping unit 150 can receive through the input unit 130 the input
about the client group to which the corresponding management device
is to be mapped, and can accordingly map the corresponding
management device to the selected client group. In exemplary
embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the manager
can map the management device to the client group using the display
unit 120 and the input unit 130 of the management server 100.
However, this is merely an example, and the mapping of the
management device to the client group is not limited thereto. For
example, if the management server 100 includes a web server to
manage a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the manager may
access the corresponding web server (e.g., the manager may access
the web server of the management server 100 from a remote distance)
to map the management device to the client group.
The management unit 160 of the management server 100 can manage the
plurality of image forming apparatuses. In response to a request or
without a request by the manager, the management unit 160 may
request a plurality of management devices 200 connected thereto for
the information of the image forming apparatuses connected to the
corresponding management devices, and store the information of the
image forming apparatuses received as a response to the storage
unit 140. The management unit 160 may also carry out management
operations of a general MPS system (e.g., MPS management system
1000, illustrated in FIG. 1) based on the received information of
the image forming apparatuses such as, for example, print history,
charged cost, lifespan, etc.
The control unit 170 of the management server 100 may control the
respective components of the management server 100 (e.g., the
communication interface unit 110, the display unit 120, the input
unit 130, the storage unit 140, the mapping unit 150, and the
management unit 160). The control unit 170 may be a processor, a
field programmable gate array, a programmable logic circuit, an
integrated circuit, and/or any suitable controller to carry out the
exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept
disclose herein. When receiving management device identification
information from the management device 200, the control unit 170
may control the mapping unit 150 to map the management device that
sends out the identification information with one of the plurality
of client groups. The control unit 170 may also control the
communication interface unit 110 to transmit an activation command
to a corresponding management device so that the corresponding
management device operates as an agent.
As explained above, according to exemplary embodiments of the
present general inventive concept, the management server 100 can
map the management devices 200 with the client groups, without
having to separately generate an agent key file and install the
generated agent key file in the management devices 200 at remote
distances. The management server 100 may change a mapping
relationship between the management devices and the client groups
using a control operation at the management server 100.
FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed block diagram of the management
device 200 of FIG. 1 according to exemplary embodiments of the
present general inventive concept.
Referring to FIG. 3, the management device 200 may include a
communication interface unit 210, a user interface unit 220, a
storage unit 230, an installation unit 240, and a control unit
250.
The communication interface unit 210 can communicatively connect
the management device 200 to the management server 100, and may
access the management server 100, for example, via a local area
network (LAN) and the Internet. The communication interface unit
210 may connect to at least one image forming apparatus 10, and may
access the image forming apparatus 10 via, for example, a local
area network (LAN), the Internet, and a Universal Serial Bus (USB)
or the like.
The communication interface unit 210 can transmit management device
information to the management server 100. The communication
interface unit 210 may transmit to the management server 100 the
information such as name (or alias), IP address, or unique serial
number (e.g., MAC information) of the management device to thus
identify the management device.
The communication interface unit 210 can receive an activation
command. In response to the management device identification
information that the communication interface unit 210 sent, the
communication interface unit 210 may receive from the management
server 100 an activation command (i.e., a command to activate an
agent function) directing to collect the information of the
connected image forming apparatuses (10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n).
The communication interface unit 210 can receive the information of
the image forming apparatuses from the image forming apparatuses
(10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n) communicatively connected thereto. The
communication interface unit 210 may send out to the management
server 100 the information about the image forming apparatuses
(10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n) communicatively connected thereto. Upon
request from the management server 100 or, alternatively, without a
request, the communication interface unit 210 may transmit the
unique information (e.g., IP address, driver information, location
information), status information (e.g., on/off, generation of error
such as a `paper jam` or `no paper` error), recording medium
information (e.g., type of recording medium, amount of recording
medium, etc.), job information (e.g., the number of copies to be
printed, job log, operating ratio) of the image forming apparatuses
connected thereto.
The communication interface unit 210 may request the management
server 100 for specific information, and receive corresponding
information as a response. By way of example, if the user requests
log information about a specific image forming apparatus, the
communication interface unit 210 may request the management server
100 for the log information about the specific image forming
apparatus and receives the corresponding information from the
management server 100.
The user interface unit 220 may include a plurality of function
keys with which the manager can set or select various functions
supported by the management device 200. The user interface unit 220
may also display various information provided by the management
device 200. The user interface unit 220 may be a device like a
touchpad which integrates both input and output, or an input device
such as a mouse or a keyboard with a display device such as a CRT
(cathode ray tube) monitor, a LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor,
or LED (light emitting diode) display. The manager may input an
agent initiation command through the user interface window provided
by the user interface unit 220 to thereby direct the management
device 200 to initiate the agent function.
The manager may input through the user interface window provided by
the user interface unit 220 the name of the management device 200
(e.g., alias). The inputted name of the management device 200 may
be stored in the storage unit 230.
The storage unit 230 can store the management device identification
information. The storage unit 230 may be a hard disk drive, a solid
state drive (SSD), a memory device, and/or any suitable storage
device to carry out the exemplary embodiments of the present
general inventive concept disclosed herein. The storage unit 230
may store the information including, for example, name, IP address,
unique serial number (e.g., MAG information), etc. of the
management device which is inputted through the user interface unit
220.
The storage unit 230 may store information about the image forming
apparatuses (10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-n) connected to the management
device 200. The storage unit 230 may store the unique information
(e.g., model name, IP address, driver information, location
information), status information (e.g., on/off, generation of error
such as a `paper jam` or `no paper` error, recording medium
information (e.g., type of recording medium, amount of recording
medium, etc.), job information (e.g., the number of copies to be
printed, job log, operating ratio) of the image forming
apparatuses. If the plurality of image forming apparatuses are
mapped to the management device 200, the storage unit 230 may store
the information of each image forming apparatus separately.
The storage unit 230 may be a storage medium within the management
server 100 and/or an external storage medium, such as a removable
disk including USB memory, a storage medium connected to the
management device, or a web server accessible via the network.
The installation unit 240 can install a program so that the
management device 200 can operate as an agent. If the program is
not installed on the management device 200, the installation unit
240 may install the agent program on the management device 200 in
response to an agent initiation command issued by the manager. The
agent initiation command of the manager may be a command directing
to install the agent program. In exemplary embodiments of the
present general inventive concept, the agent program may be
installed on the management device 200. However, the present
general inventive concept is not limited thereto, and a control
module (or control device) implementing the agent program may be
installed in the management device 200.
The control unit 250 may control the respective components of the
management device 200 (e.g., the communication interface unit 210,
the user interface unit 220, the storage unit 230, and the
installation unit 240). The control unit 250 may be a processor, a
field programmable gate array, a programmable logic circuit, an
integrated circuit, and/or any suitable controller to carry out the
exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept
disclose herein. If the control unit 205 receives an agent
initiation command from the manager through the user interface unit
220, the control unit 250 may control the installation unit 240 to
install the agent program on the management device 200. When the
agent program is installed on the management device 200, the
control unit 250 may control the communication interface unit 210
so that the management device identification information is
transmitted to the management server 100, and if an activation
command is received from the management server 100, control the
communication interface unit 210 so that the information about the
connected image forming apparatuses is transmitted to the
management server 100.
As explained above, the management device 200 according to
exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept can
map the management devices with the client groups by transmitting
the identification information to the management server 100 and
without requiring a separate agent key file. Further, additional
manipulation on the management device 200 is unnecessary, even when
the mapping relationship between the management device and the
client group in the management server 100 changes.
FIGS. 4 to 6 are views illustrating a method of mapping the
management device with the client group according to exemplary
embodiments of the present general inventive concept.
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, at operation S610, the manager can
generate a plurality of client groups in the management server 100.
At operation S620, the manager (or user) can install a program or a
control module to operate as an agent on the management device 200,
and at operations S410 and S630, the manager (or user) can set the
name of the corresponding management device 200 in the installed
program or control module so that the management device 200 can be
an agent. At operation S640, the management device 200 can operate
as an agent, and at operations S420 and S650, the management device
200 can transmit the management device identification information
to the management server 100.
At operation S430 and S660, the management server 100 can store the
information received from the management device 200 in a database.
The database may be stored, for example, in the storage unit 140 of
the management server 100, as illustrated in FIG. 2 and described
in detail above. At operations S440 and S670, and the management
server 100 indicates any non-mapped management device to the
manager, so that at S450, S680, the manager can map the non-mapped
management device with a specific client group.
As explained above, the method of mapping according to exemplary
embodiments of the present general inventive concept includes
mapping of the management device with the client group using the
management device identification information transmitted from the
management device, without having to separately generate an agent
key file. The method of mapping according to the exemplary
embodiments of the present general inventive concept can change the
mapping relationship between the management device and the client
group with the management server 100.
In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, a management device
200 may be a print control terminal apparatus (or a host device).
In another non-limiting example, a management device may be an
image forming apparatus, as illustrated in FIG. 5. A manager may
set the name of an image forming apparatus 200'. As a result, the
image forming apparatus 200' may be an agent, and may transmit its
name to the management server 100 as identification information
FIGS. 7 to 9 are views illustrating examples of the user interface
window which can be displayed on the display unit 120 of the
management server 100 of FIG. 2 according to exemplary embodiments
of the present general inventive concept.
Referring to FIG. 7, the user interface window 700 displays a
mapping relationship between the management device 200 and the
client group. The user interface window 700 may include a first
area 710 to display the management device mapped with a specific
client group, and a second area 750 to display non-mapped
management devices.
The first area 710 may display the client group currently selected
by the manager from among the plurality of client groups under
management of the management server, and the management devices
mapped with the corresponding client groups. The first area 710 may
include, among other things, the group name, the IP (internet
protocol) address of the group, and the current status of the
group. Status item 713 may illustrate the status of at least one
job assigned to the group. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the job
assigned to the group "UI Team" may be in an "activated" state.
The second area 750 is provided to display the non-mapped
management devices from among the plurality of management devices
connected to the management server 100. A first non-mapped
management device 751 and a second non-mapped management device
752, as illustrated in FIG. 7, may include at least the serial
number, the alias name, the IP address, and the type of device
(e.g., personal computer (PC), server, image forming apparatus,
etc.) of each of respective the non-mapped management devices 751
and 752.
The manager may identify the management device using the alias (or
name) and IP address of the management device displayed on the
second area 750, and map the identified management device with a
specific client group. For example, as described above, the first
non-mapped management device 751 and the second non-mapped
management device 752 may each have serial numbers, as well as
aliases "Solution LAB" and "Samsung," respectively. The operation
of mapping the non-mapped management device with a specific client
group will be explained in detail below with reference to FIG.
8.
The manager may select one of the management devices displayed on
the second area 750 (e.g., the first non-mapped management device
751 and the second non-mapped management device 752), and in
response to this, the display unit 120 may display a popup window
850 that may be separate from the user interface window 800
illustrated in FIG. 8.
FIG. 8 illustrates a user interface window that includes an area to
display management devices mapped with a specific client group, and
another area to display non-mapped management devices, as similarly
illustrated in the user interface window 700 of FIG. 7 described
above. The popup window 850 of FIG. 8 can display a plurality of
client groups under management of the management server 100. The
manager can select through the displayed popup window 850 a client
group to which a corresponding management device is to be mapped
(e.g., the selected device with the "Solution LAB" alias as
illustrated in FIG. 8), and can map the corresponding management
device with the specific client group. Arrow 860 illustrates that
the mapped management device may be moved from the area of user
interface window 800 displaying non-mapped management devices to
the area displaying mapped management devices.
The manager may change the connection between the client group and
the management device which have already been mapped. The operation
of changing the connection between the client group and the
management device which have already been mapped with each other
will be explained below with reference to FIG. 9.
FIG. 9 illustrates a user interface window 900 that includes a
first area 910 to display management devices mapped with a specific
client group, and a second area 950 to display non-mapped
management devices, as similarly illustrated in the user interface
windows 700 and 800 of FIGS. 7-8 described above. Referring to FIG.
9, the manager can select an area 901 to delete the mapping
relationship between the currently-displayed client group and
management device. When this operation is complete, the management
device that has been mapped with the displayed client group can be
displayed on the second area 960. Arrow 960 illustrates that the
mapped management device of the first area 910, when deleted by the
selection of the area 910, is moved to the second area 950 that
includes the non-mapped management devices. The manager may then
select the client group to be mapped with the corresponding
management device through the operation explained above with
reference to FIG. 8, to thus re-set the mapping relationship.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a management method of the
management server for a plurality of image forming apparatus
according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive
concept.
Referring to FIG. 10, at operation S1010, the management device
identification information can be received from the management
device (e.g., the management device 200 at remote distance)
connected to at least one image forming apparatus. The information
such as name (or alias), IP address, or unique serial number (e.g.,
MAC information) of the management device to identify the
corresponding management device at the remote distance may be
received.
At operation S1020, based on the received management device
identification information, one of the plurality of client groups
can be mapped to the management device. The mapping may be carried
out automatically or manually as selected by the manager. The
automatic mapping will be explained below. The management device
identification information received from the management device with
the previously stored management device identification information
and/or information about the client group may be compared with each
other, a client group to which the corresponding management device
is to be mapped is selected, and the selected client group is
mapped to the management device.
The manual mapping carried out in response to selection by the
manager will now be explained. If the management device
identification information is received from the management device
200, the presence of the non-mapped management device can be
displayed to the manager, so that when the manager selects the
client group to which the corresponding management device is to be
mapped, the corresponding management device is mapped to the
selected client group.
At operation S1030, an activation command, directing to collect the
information about the image forming apparatus connected to the
management device mapped with the client group, can be transmitted
to the mapped management device. By doing so, the mapping between
the management device and the client group is completed.
At operation S1040, the management device is requested to send out
the information about the image forming apparatus connected
thereto, and the requested information is received at operation
S1050. The management device may be requested to send the
information such as unique information (e.g., model name, IP
address, driver information, location information, etc.) of the
image forming apparatus, status information (e.g., on/off,
generation of error, recording medium information (e.g., type,
amount, etc., of recording medium) of the image forming apparatus,
or job information (e.g., job log, operating ratio of the image
forming apparatus connected thereto and as a result, the requested
information may be received. That is, the management operation of a
general MPS system (e.g., MPS management system 1000 illustrated in
FIG. 1) on a plurality of image forming apparatuses is carried
out.
At operation S1060, the received information about the image
forming apparatus can be stored. The information about the image
forming apparatus received from the management device 200 may be
stored under each client group corresponding to the management
device that sends out the information.
As explained above, the management method of the management server
100 according to exemplary embodiments of the present general
inventive concept can map the management device 200 to the client
group without having to separately generate an agent key file or
install the generated agent key file on the management device 200
at remote distance. Further, the management method of the present
general inventive concept can change the mapping relationship
between the management device and the client group using only the
control operation at the management server 100. The management
method of FIG. 10 may be implemented on and/or performed by the
management server 100 illustrated in FIG. 2, or on any other
suitable management server to carry out the exemplary embodiments
of the present general inventive concept disclosed herein.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a management method of a
management device for a plurality of image forming apparatuses
according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive
concept.
Referring to FIG. 11, at operation S1110, an agent initiation
command is inputted, and information about the plurality of image
forming apparatuses is provided to the management server. Along
with the agent initiation command, the name of the corresponding
management device may also be inputted by the manager (or user). If
the name of the management device is inputted in advance, the
above-mentioned operation may be omitted.
At operation S1120, if the agent initiation command is inputted,
the management device identification information is transmitted to
the management server. The name (or alias), IP address, or unique
serial number (e.g., MAC information) of the management device may
be transmitted to the management server 100 to thus identify the
management device.
At operation S1130, an activation command can be received from the
management server. At operation S1140, based on the activation
command, the management device can operate as an agent, and can
transmit the information of the image forming apparatuses connected
to the management device to the management server.
Accordingly, the management method of the management device 200
according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive
concept can map the management device with the client group through
the operation of transmitting the identification information
thereof to the management server 100 and without having to
separately generating an agent key file. Further, even when the
mapping relationship between the management device and the client
group in the management server 100 changes, the management method
according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive
concept does not require any separate manipulation on the
management device 200. The management method of FIG. 11 may be
implemented on and/or performed by the management device as
illustrated in FIG. 3, or any other suitable management device to
carry out the exemplary embodiments of the present general
inventive concept as disclosed herein.
The management methods illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 may be
implemented as at least one execution program to execute the
management method explained above, and such execution program may
be stored on a computer-readable recording medium.
Accordingly, the respective blocks of the present general inventive
concept may be implemented as computer-writable codes on the
computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording
medium may be a device that can store the data readable by a
computer system.
For example, the computer-readable recording medium may be ROMs,
RAMs, CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical disks, optical
data storage devices or image display apparatuses such as
televisions including storage devices. Further, the
computer-readable codes may be implemented as a computer data
subcarrier signal.
Although several embodiments of the present general inventive
concept have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated
by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these
embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the
general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the
appended claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *